Back to EveryPatent.com
United States Patent |
5,581,064
|
Riley
,   et al.
|
December 3, 1996
|
Automated coupon processing system employing coupon with identifying
code and chosen second identifying code uniquely identifying the coupon
Abstract
An automated coupon processing system inputs information from a
manufacturer coupon, discerns a first identifying code from the coupon,
correlates the first identifying code with one or more second identifying
codes, and chooses a particular one of the second identifying codes, where
the first identifying code and the chosen second identifying code uniquely
identify the coupon. The system can prompt an operator to select one of
the second identifying codes or to enter a coupon expiration date that
corresponds to one of the second identifying codes. Coupons information
can be entered using a bar code reader, an OCR scanner, a combination bar
code reader/OCR scanner, and/or manual entry.
Inventors:
|
Riley; Roger K. (Shortsville, NY);
Gillow; Stuart C. (Farmington, NY)
|
Assignee:
|
Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (Camp Hill, PA)
|
Appl. No.:
|
332729 |
Filed:
|
November 1, 1994 |
Current U.S. Class: |
235/383; 235/462.01 |
Intern'l Class: |
G06K 015/00 |
Field of Search: |
235/383,462,463
364/478
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
3959624 | May., 1976 | Kaslow | 235/463.
|
4355372 | Oct., 1982 | Johnson et al. | 364/900.
|
4554446 | Nov., 1985 | Murphy et al. | 235/487.
|
4752675 | Jun., 1988 | Zetmeir | 235/375.
|
4825045 | Apr., 1989 | Humble | 235/383.
|
4908761 | Mar., 1990 | Tai | 364/401.
|
5021640 | Jun., 1991 | Muroi | 235/462.
|
5025139 | Jun., 1991 | Halliburton, Jr. | 235/379.
|
5056019 | Oct., 1991 | Schultz | 364/405.
|
5128520 | Jul., 1992 | Rando et al. | 235/375.
|
5128527 | Jul., 1992 | Kawai | 235/462.
|
5198649 | Mar., 1993 | Brooks | 235/462.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
7800261 | Jan., 1978 | FR.
| |
Primary Examiner: Hajec; Donald T.
Assistant Examiner: Frech; Karl
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman, Ltd.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An automated coupon processing system for use with coupons having
information printed thereon, the information including at least a first
identifying code, said system comprising:
input means for inputting the information, including the first identifying
code, from a coupon to said system, said input means including means for
discerning the first identifying code from the input information;
data storage means for storing data corresponding to the first identifying
codes of the coupons and data indicative of other coupon information;
processing means for processing the information input from the input means
and the data in said storage means, said processing means including:
means for determining whether the first identifying code of a coupon is
stored in said data storage means and has at least two second identifying
codes associated therewith using data stored in said means for storing
data; and
means for identifying the second identifying codes associated with the
first identifying code; and
means for choosing a particular one of the second identifying codes,
wherein the first identifying code and said particular one of the second
identifying codes uniquely identify the coupon.
2. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 1, wherein
said means for choosing includes means for prompting an operator to select
one of: a particular one of the second identifying codes and a coupon
expiration date corresponding to a particular one of the second
identifying codes.
3. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 1, wherein
said input means includes manual entry and at least one of: a bar code
scanner, an optical character recognition scanner, and a combination bar
code scanner/optical character recognition scanner.
4. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 1, wherein the
first identifying code forms at least a part of a bar code, and wherein
said input means includes a bar code scanner.
5. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 4, wherein the
bar code is a U.P.C. code, and wherein said data storage means stores data
indicating whether the second identifying codes appear as extended digits
on the U.P.C. code.
6. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 4, wherein the
bar code is an E.A.N. code.
7. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 4, wherein the
bar code also includes the second identifying code, and wherein said data
storage means stores data indicating that the second identifying code is
included in the bar code.
8. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 1, wherein in
said data storage means, said data is indexed by the first identifying
code.
9. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 8, wherein in
said data storage means, said data includes an alpha description of a
product corresponding to the manufacturer coupon.
10. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 1, wherein
said processing means further comprises:
means for ascertaining coupon values from the first identifying code; and
means for ascertaining marketing data from the second identifying code.
11. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 10, wherein
said processing means further comprises:
means for totaling coupon values; and
means for accumulating marketing data.
12. An automated coupon processing system, according to claim 1, wherein
the second identifying code is an offer/campaign code.
13. A method of processing coupons, comprising:
inputting to a processor information from a manufacturer coupon;
discerning a first identifying code from the information input to the
processor from the coupon;
determining whether the first identifying code is included in records
stored in a computer data file;
if the first identifying code is included in records stored in the computer
data file, then determining whether two or more second identifying codes
are associated with the first identifying code on the coupon; and
if two or more second identifying codes are associated with the first
identifying code, then performing the steps of:
identifying the second identifying codes associated with the first
identifying code; and
choosing a particular one of the second identifying codes, wherein the
first identifying code and said particular one of the second identifying
codes uniquely identify the coupon.
14. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 13, wherein said
choosing step includes prompting an operator to select one of: a
particular one of the second identifying codes and a coupon expiration
date corresponding to a particular one of the second identifying codes.
15. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 13, wherein said
inputting step includes using one of: a bar code scanner, an optical
character recognition scanner, a combination bar code scanner/optical
character recognition scanner, and manual entry.
16. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 13, wherein said
discerning step includes reading the first identifying code on a face of
the coupon and the second identifying code is on the face of the coupon.
17. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 16, wherein the
first identifying code is a bar code.
18. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 17, wherein the bar
code is a U.P.C. code.
19. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 17, wherein the bar
code is an E.A.N. code.
20. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 17, wherein the bar
code also includes information for selecting the second identifying code.
21. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 13, wherein the
computer data file contains records indexed by the first identifying code,
and wherein in said identifying step, the second identifying codes are
identified by examination of the records associated with the first
identifying code.
22. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 21, wherein said
computer data file includes an alpha description of a product
corresponding to the manufacturer coupon.
23. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 13, further
comprising the steps of:
ascertaining coupon values from the first identifying code; and
ascertaining marketing data from the second identifying code.
24. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 23, further
comprising the steps of:
totaling coupon values; and
accumulating marketing data.
25. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 13, wherein the
second identifying code is an offer/campaign code.
26. A method of processing coupons, according to claim 13, said discerning
step, said identifying step, and said choosing step include using a
computer processor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for identifying and processing
manufacturer coupons. More specifically, the invention relates to an
automated system that uses a computer processor to obtain and compile data
from a plurality of manufacturer coupons.
2. Related Art
Manufacturer coupons are used by consumers to decrease the price paid for
items at retail establishments. Each coupon has printed thereon an
alphanumeric identification of a particular item, a description and an
amount by which to decrease the retail price of the item, an expiration
date, and a U.P.C. (Universal Product Code), or other code, that
identifies the coupon. The consumer purchases the item and presents the
coupon to the merchant who decreases the price of the item by the amount
shown on the coupon or provides "free goods" (e.g., buy one, get one
free). The merchant may scan the U.P.C. or other codes printed on the
coupon so that the merchant's checkout system automatically decrease the
price paid by the consumer.
The merchant can submit the coupon directly to the manufacturer for
reimbursement of the amount shown on the coupon (plus a nominal handling
fee). However, due to the large volume and diversification of coupons
handled by most merchants and due to the large number of manufacturers, it
is often more efficient to employ a coupon processing service.
A coupon processing service receives a batch of coupons from a particular
merchant and/or merchant store, sorts the coupons according to
manufacturer, and calculates the amount of money due to the merchant from
each manufacturer. This process is fairly labor intensive. An operator at
the coupon processing service will manually handle each coupon, scan or
manually enter the U.P.C. code, and sort the coupons by manufacturer. A
computer processor can be connected to the U.P.C. scanner and used to
calculate the amount due to the merchant from each manufacturer.
After being processed, the coupons can be returned to the manufacturers or
their agents for confirmation of the amounts and/or further marketing
studies. The manufacturer can also have printed on the coupon optional
offer/campaign codes which can identify the source of the coupon and thus
facilitate marketing studies by the manufacturer. The manufacturer can use
the offer/campaign code information to determine the effectiveness of
their coupon offers in various markets. Determining the various
offer/campaign codes on the coupons involves reprocessing of the coupons
in a manner similar to the original redemption processing. That is, each
coupon must be manually handled and examined to determine the
offer/campaign code printed thereon. Processing the coupons a second time
is relatively labor intensive and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,540 to Marshall discloses a coupon processing system
where coupons are sorted according to the U.P.C., physical properties, and
images on the face of the coupon. However, Marshall does not disclose
ascertaining the offer/campaign codes from the coupon.
It is desirable to simplify coupon processing by minimizing the amount of
handling required and ascertaining marketing data from coupons without
appreciably increasing the cost of processing the coupons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, an automated coupon processing system
inputs information from a manufacturer coupon, discerns a first
identifying code from the coupon, correlates the first identifying code
with one or more second identifying codes, and chooses a particular one of
the second identifying codes, where the first identifying code and the
chosen second identifying code uniquely identify the coupon. The system
can prompt an operator to select one of the second identifying codes or to
enter a coupon expiration date that corresponds to one of the second
identifying codes. The system can input the information by using one of: a
bar code scanner, an optical character recognition scanner, a combination
bar code scanner/optical character recognition scanner and manually.
According further to the present invention, the system can read a code on a
face of said coupon. The code is a bar code which can be a U.P.C. or
E.A.N. bar code. The bar code can also include information for selecting
the second identifying code. The system can maintain a computer data file
containing records indexed by the first identifying code. The computer
data file can include an alpha description of a product corresponding to
the manufacturer coupon.
According further to the present invention, the system can also ascertain
coupon values from the first identifying code, ascertain marketing data
from the second identifying code, can total coupon values, and can
accumulate marketing data. The second identifying code can be an
offer/campaign code. The system can be implemented using a computer
processor.
The automated coupon processing system allows fast, efficient, and cost
effective processing of coupons. Coupon values can be totaled and
marketing data can be accumulated in one operation. The operator can be
prompted to choose one of a plurality of secondary codes, thus further
simplifying operation of the system. The system can take advantage of
existing U.P.C. codes currently used on coupons and can also process
coupon codes adopted in the future, such as E.A.N. codes or other codes
not yet defined.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is better understood by reading the following Detailed
Description of the Preferred Embodiments with reference to the
accompanying drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to
like elements throughout, and in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates an automated coupon processing system according to the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of the automated coupon
processing system according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a universal product code that can be found on a manufacturer
coupon.
FIG. 4A shows data that is used by the automated coupon processing system.
FIGS. 4B and 4C show in detail some of the fields associated with each
record of data used by the automated coupon system.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating in detail operation of a portion of
the automated coupon processing system.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the automated coupon
processing system software.
FIG. 7 shows a screen provided by the system to the operator during a
coupon search process.
FIG. 8 shows a screen provided by the system to the operator during an add
coupon process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In describing preferred embodiments of the present invention illustrated in
the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity.
However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific
terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific
element includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar
manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
Referring to FIG. 1, an automated coupon processing system 30 includes a
computer processor 32 and a Universal Product Code (U.P.C.) scanner 34.
Optionally, the system 30 can also include either a stand-alone optical
character recognition (OCR) scanner 36 or a single device 37 that is both
a U.P.C. scanner and an OCR scanner. The U.P.C. scanner 34 and the OCR
scanner 36 are used to examine manufacturer coupons and provide
information indicative thereof to the computer processor 32. The U.P.C.
scanner 34 can be any one of a variety of commercially available U.P.C.
scanners such as MS 700 or MS 860 made by Metrologic Inc. of Blackwood,
N.J. The OCR scanner 36 can be any one of a variety of conventional,
commercially available, OCR scanners. Similarly, the combination bar
code/OCR scanner 37 can be any one of a variety of conventional
commercially available models, such as those produced by Optowand Inc. of
Irving, Tex. The U.P.C. scanner 34 and the OCR scanner 36 or the
combination device 37 are electrically connected to the computer processor
32 in a conventional manner.
The computer processor 32 can be any one of a variety of conventional,
commercially available, computer processors suitable for providing the
functionality described herein, such as a 486 DX4-100 computer
manufactured by AST Corporation of Fountain Valley, Calif. The computer
processor 32 includes a processor 38, a monitor 40, and a keyboard 42.
*The computer processor 32 also has storage 43, such as a conventional
hard disk drive, containing backfile data 44, redemption data 46, and
marketing data 48. Alternatively, the storage 43 can be provided as
multiple units with any one of the backfile data 44, redemption data 46,
and marketing data 48 stored in separate storage units from the others.
*Although the current invention is using a keyboard 42 it will be
appreciated that the invention can be practiced using other types of
computer input devices including voice, touch screen, touch pad or any
other conventional device.
The backfile data 44 contains data indicative of coupon information that
may be accessed for processing. The processor 38 uses the information from
the backfile 44 to process scanned coupons and write redemption
information to the redemption data 46 and-marketing information to the
marketing data 48. If a coupon that is not stored in the backfile 44 is
scanned, the operator will be prompted to enter the appropriate data at
the keyboard 42 so that the coupon information can be stored in a
temporary file that is later copied into the backfile 44. The backfile
data 44, the redemption data 46, and the marketing data 48 are described
in more detail hereinafter.
Referring to FIG. 2, a flow diagram 50 illustrates operation of the
automated computer processing system 30. Processing begins at a first step
52 where the operator scans the U.P.C. code of a coupon using the U.P.C.
scanner 34 or the combination U.P.C./OCR scanner 37. Following the step 52
is a step 54 where the processor 38 determines if the item scanned by the
operator is in fact a valid manufacturer coupon. Recognizing if an item is
a valid manufacturer coupon is described in more detail hereinafter. If
the item scanned by the operator is not a valid manufacturer coupon,
control transfers from the step 54 to step 55 where the item is rejected
and processing is terminated. That is, for an item that is not a valid
manufacturer coupon, no further processing is performed. After the item
has been rejected at the step 55, the operator is prompted to scan the
next item.
If the item scanned at the step 52 is a valid manufacturer coupon, then
control transfers from the step 54 to a step 56 where a test is made to
determine if the coupon information is stored in the backfile data 44. The
backfile data 44 is indexed by coupon U.P.C. If the U.P.C. obtained at the
scanning step 52 is not found in the backfile data 44, then control
transfers from the step 56 to a step 58 where the system acquires the
coupon information. The step 58 can include having the computer processor
32 prompt the operator, via the monitor 40, to enter relevant information
from the face of the coupon at the keyboard 42. Optionally, the operator
can be prompted to run the coupon through the OCR scanner 36 to transfer
the image to the processor 38 which would then process the image to obtain
the relevant additional coupon information. Following the step 58 is a
step 60 where the information for the previously unrecognized coupon is
stored in a temporary file that is eventually copied into the backfile
data 44, as described in more detail hereinafter.
If it is determined at the test step 56 that the U.P.C. for the coupon
scanned at the step 52 is already stored in the backfile 44, then control
transfers from the step 56 to a step 62. That is, if the relevant coupon
information is already found in the backfile data 44, then the steps 58
and 60, which relate to acquiring and storing the data for the coupon, are
not performed.
It is possible to have more than one type of coupon associated with a
single coupon U.P.C. A particular coupon U.P.C. can have associated
therewith multiple offer/campaign codes provided by the manufacturer. For
example, a coupon offering an amount off of the price of a particular
product can have two distinct offer codes: the first offer code associated
with one geographic location and the second offer code associated with a
second geographic location. The manufacturer would use the distinguishing
offer/campaign codes to compile data relating to the effectiveness of the
coupon in the different geographic locations. Note that it is also
possible for the manufacturer to use two or more different offer/campaign
codes in the same geographic location.
At the test step 62, the processor 38 uses the backfile 44 to determine if
the U.P.C. number scanned at the step 52 has more than one offer/campaign
code associated with the U.P.C. If so, then the coupon is not unique. That
is, the particular U.P.C. is associated with more than one type of coupon.
In that case, control passes from the test step 62 to a step 64 where the
system 30 acquires additional information in order to uniquely identify
the coupon. Acquiring additional information can include prompting the
operator to enter the offer/campaign code via the keyboard 42. Optionally,
the operator can be prompted to run the coupon through the OCR scanner 36
which provides an image to the processor 38 from which the processor 38
can determine the unique offer/campaign code. It is also possible to
provide the operator with a prompt of possible codes and have the operator
select from one of the prompted codes. Entering the offer/campaign codes
is described in more detail hereinafter.
If it is determined at step 62 that the coupon is unique or if the system
30 has acquired the necessary additional coupon information at the step
64, then operation continues at a step 66 where the system 30 stores the
marketing data 48. Following the step 66 is a step 68 where the system 30
stores redemption data 46. Obtaining and storing the redemption and
marketing data is described in more detail hereinafter.
Referring to FIG. 3, a U.P.C. bar code 80 for Industry Standard System V
bar code is illustrated. The industry standards are promulgated by the
Uniform Code Council of Dayton Ohio. Each individual rectangle of the
illustration represents a particular bar code digit.
The U.P.C. bar code 80 includes a first digit 82 that identifies the bar
code as a U.P.C. bar code on a manufacturer coupon. By convention, this
digit is the number "5". If the system determines that the digit 82 is not
the number "5", then the system 30 deems the scanned item not to be a
manufacturer coupon.
Five digits 84 following the first digit 82 indicate the manufacturer of
the product shown on the coupon. A unique combination of five digits is
assigned to each manufacturer by the Uniform Code Council. Following the
manufacturer digits 84 are three digits 86 that are assigned by the
manufacturer to represent a family code for the product. The family code
is used by the manufacturer to identify the product. For example, a
manufacturer that provides ten different products can assign a unique
family code to each of the ten different products. A manufacturer can also
assign the same family code to a particular group of products. Note that,
by convention, zeros is the least significant digits of the family code on
the coupon match any digit so that, for example, a coupon with a family
code of 110 will match any manufacturer's family code between 111 and 119.
Similarly, a coupon with a family code of 200 will match any
manufacturer's family code between 201 and 299.
Following the family code digits 86 are value code digits 88 which
represent the value of the coupon. The value of the coupon 88 is the
amount of the purchase price that is subtracted by the merchant when the
consumer redeems the coupon. For example, if the coupon is for fifteen
cents off a particular product, then the value digits 88 would be "1" and
"5". Following the value digits 88 is a check digit 90 which is used by
the U.P.C. scanner to verify that the other digits 82, 84, 86, 88 were
read properly by the scanner.
Optionally, the check digit 90 can be followed by extended digits 92 which
further identify the coupon. Manufacturers currently taking advantage of
the extended digit field 92 use either two or five digits. These extended
digits can be read by the U.P.C. scanner 34 and, depending on the
convention used by the manufacturer, can uniquely identify the
offer/campaign codes used by the manufacturer. That is, a manufacturer can
encode the offer/campaign code in the extended digits 92. Accordingly, the
step 64 in the flow diagram 50 of FIG. 2, where additional information is
required in order to differentiate the coupon from other coupons having
the same U.P.C., can include examining the extended digits to uniquely
identify the coupon.
The use of the extended digits 92 to encode the offer/campaign code is at
the discretion of the manufacturer. As described in more detail
hereinafter, the backfile data 44 contains information for each U.P.C.
code indicating whether the manufacturer uses the extended digits 92 and
whether the extended digits 92 uniquely identify the offer/campaign codes.
The backfile data 44 is a database containing a plurality of records
indexed by the U.P.C. of each coupon. Associated with each record is a
plurality of offer/campaign codes that can be present on each coupon. Each
offer/campaign code can have associated therewith one or more geographic
locations and/or markets where the coupon was dropped (i.e., provided to
consumers), an issue date, an expiration date, and the physical location
on the coupon where the offer or campaign code can be found. Also, it is
possible for a particular offer/campaign code to have a secondary
offer/campaign code associated therewith. In that case, each of the
secondary offer/campaign codes can be further associated with one or more
geographic locations, issue and expiration dates, and physical location on
the coupon where the secondary offer or campaign code can be found.
Referring to FIG. 4A, a schematic representation of the data stored in the
backfile 44 shows a plurality of records 101-103, each of which
corresponds to a unique U.P.C. As discussed above, each U.P.C. can have
one or more offer/campaign codes associated therewith, which is
represented in FIG. 4A as O/C Info A, O/C Info B . . . O/C Info N. Note
that it is possible that a particular U.P.C. would have no offer/campaign
codes associated with it. In that case, the U.P.C. number uniquely
identifies the coupon. Also shown in FIG. 4A, each unique U.P.C. also has
an alpha description associated therewith. The alpha description is
described in more detail hereinafter.
Referring to FIG. 4B, a schematic representation 110 shows the data stored
in each O/C Info element of FIG. 4A. That is, the diagram 110 shows the
data stored in O/C Info A, O/C Info B, etc.
As shown in FIG. 4B, each O/C Info record includes the offer/campaign code
112, an element 113 indicating whether the offer/campaign code is found in
the extended bar code 92 shown in FIG. 3, an issue date 114 associated
with the offer/campaign code 112, an expiration date 115 associated with
the offer/campaign code 112, an indication 116 of the location on the
coupon where the offer/campaign code 112 can be found, and one or more
geographic marketing locations 117 that are associated with the
offer/campaign code 112. The record 110 also includes an indicator 118 as
to whether there is one or more secondary offer/campaign codes associated
with the offer/campaign code 112. It is possible for a single
offer/campaign code to have one or more secondary offer/campaign codes
associated therewith.
The extended bar code element 113 indicates whether the offer/campaign code
112 is found in the extended bar code 92 shown in FIG. 3. At the
discretion of the manufacturer, the offer/campaign code 112 can be
included in the extended bar code 92. As discussed in more detail
hereinafter, this simplifies processing by allowing the system to read and
verify the extended bar code 92 and automatically ascertain the
offer/campaign code.
The issue date 114 and expiration date 115 indicate the issue and
expiration dates of the coupon, respectively. This information is useful
for marketing purposes and can also be used during line processing to
reject coupons that have passed an "age after expiration data" threshold
which can be uniquely set by manufacturer, retail store, etc.
The coupon location 116 indicates the physical location of the
offer/campaign code 112 on the coupon. This information can be useful in
two respects: It is possible to use the location to prompt the operator to
look at a certain part of the coupon to quickly ascertain the
offer/campaign code. Alternatively, this information can be used by the
OCR scanner 36 (or combination U.P.C. scanner/OCR scanner 37) to
automatically scan the coupon and use optical character recognition on the
part of the scanned image where the offer/campaign code is located to
automatically ascertain the offer or campaign code.
The one or more geographic locations 117 associated with the offer/campaign
code 112 can be used by the system 30 to compile the marketing data 48.
Also, as described in more detail hereinafter, the geographic locations
117 can be used to facilitate coupon processing.
The secondary offer/campaign code 118 is a field that indicates whether or
not the offer/campaign code 112 has associated therewith one or more
secondary offer/campaign codes. If so, then a coupon is uniquely
identified by the combination of the primary offer/campaign code 112 and
the secondary offer/campaign code 118. If the offer/campaign code 112 has
associated therewith one or more corresponding secondary offer/campaign
codes, then each of the secondary offer/campaign codes is associated with
additional information similar to the information shown in the record 110.
That is, each secondary offer/campaign code can be associated with
additional data such as issue dates, expiration dates, physical location
on the coupon of the code, geographic locations, etc.
Referring to FIG. 4C, a record 120 shows the offer or campaign code data
for an offer/campaign code having multiple secondary offer/campaign codes
associated therewith. The record 120 includes a primary offer/campaign
code 122, an indicator 123 as to whether the offer/campaign code is found
in the extended bar code, an indicator 124 that specifies the physical
location on the coupon where the secondary offer/campaign code can be
found, and one or more records 125 associated with the secondary
offer/campaign code. The relationship between the U.P.C., the offer or
campaign code, and the secondary offer/campaign code is described in more
detail hereinafter.
Referring to FIG. 5, a flow diagram 130 illustrates in detail the step 64
of FIG. 2 where additional information is acquired for a coupon having a
U.P.C. that is associated with more than one offer/campaign code. Note
that, for a coupon having a single offer/campaign code or no
offer/campaign code, the step 64 of FIG. 2 is not executed since the
coupon would be identified as unique by the U.P.C. at the test step 62 of
FIG. 2.
At a first step 131, a test is performed to determine if the offer/campaign
code is found in the extended bar code. If so, control passes from the
step 131 to a step 132 where the extended bar code is used to identify the
offer/campaign code of the coupon. Otherwise, if the offer/campaign code
is not in the extended bar code, control passes from the step 131 to a
step 133 where the operator is prompted to enter the offer/campaign code.
Prompting the operator to enter the offer/campaign code is described in
more detail hereinafter. Following either the step 132 or the step 133 is
a step 135 where a test is made to determine if the offer/campaign code
has associated therewith a secondary offer/campaign code. If not, then
processing is complete. That is, if there is no secondary offer/campaign
code associated with the coupon, then the coupon is uniquely identified by
the offer/campaign code ascertained at the step 132 or the step 133.
If at the step 135 it is determined that the offer/campaign code has a
secondary offer/campaign code associated therewith, control passes from
the step 135 to a step 136 to test if the secondary offer/campaign code is
found in the extended bar code. If so, then control passes from the step
136 to a step 137 where the extended bar code is used to identify the
secondary offer/campaign code. Otherwise, control passes from a step 136
to a step 138 where the operator is prompted to enter the secondary
offer/campaign code. Prompting the operator to enter the secondary
offer/campaign code is described in more detail hereinafter.
Referring to FIG. 6, a flow chart 150 illustrates in detail operation of
the software for the automated coupon processing system 30. The software
can be written in any appropriate computer language, such as C++,
available from Borland Inc. of Scotts Valley, Calif.
At a first step 151, the operator selects whether to operate the automated
coupon processing system 30 in the console mode or the line mode. The line
mode is similar to the processing discussed above wherein an operator
scans coupons received from various merchants in order to accumulate
marketing and redemption data. In the console mode, a supervisor enters
data into the backfile 44 relating to new coupons or to previously
processed line mode coupons needing additional information.
If at the step 151 the operator selects the line mode, then control passes
from the step 151 to a step 152 where the operator enters initializing
data for processing a batch of coupons from a particular merchant. The
initializing data includes the primary market code along with optional
second and/or third market codes for the particular merchant. The market
codes identify the likely source of the coupon. During processing, when
the operator is prompted for offer/campaign codes, only those
offer/campaign codes corresponding to the markets entered at the
initialization step 152 are displayed. Note that there are currently as
many as sixty different marketing areas in the United States, but that a
coupon is very likely to be redeemed near the location where the coupon
was originally dropped.
Other initializing information entered at the step 152 includes the name of
the merchant, the merchant store number, the merchant week ending date,
the processing lot number, and the allowable expiration date. The operator
can also enter a list of eligible manufacturers at the initialization step
152. Eligible manufacturers are those for which the operator will be
prompted for offer/campaign codes. If no eligible manufacturers are
entered, then the system 30 treats all manufacturers as eligible and
always prompts the operator for appropriate campaign or offer codes.
Following the step 152 is a step 153 where line processing begins by having
the operator scan the U.P.C. of a coupon. Note that items that are
identified as not being coupons are rejected at the step 153 and the
operator is prompted to scan the next coupon.
Following the step 153 is a test step 154 which determines if the U.P.C.
scanned at the step 153 corresponds to a record stored in the backfile 44.
If not, then control passes from the step 154 to step 154a where a new
record is created in a temporary file that will eventually be copied into
the backfile 44. The new record contains the scanned U.P.C. Following the
step 154a is a step 155 where the new record is flagged for further
processing by supervisory personnel at a later time in order to verify and
complete the record and to copy the information from the temporary file
into the backfile 44. Following the step 155 is a step 156 where the
operator is prompted for information relating to the coupon. The operator
enters a minimal amount of information, such as the offer/campaign code
and/or expiration date, at the step 156 so that coupons with the same
U.P.C. in the batch being processed will pass through without being
flagged.
If at the step 154 the U.P.C. is found in the backfile, control transfers
to a step 157 where the U.P.C. of the scanned coupon is examined to
determine if the U.P.C. corresponds to an eligible manufacturer entered at
the step 152. If not, then control passes from the step 157 to a step 158
where the information for the coupon is stored.
If at the test step 157 the U.P.C. corresponds to that of an eligible
manufacturer, then control passes from the step 157 to a test step 159 to
determine if the U.P.C. scanned at the step 153 has multiple
offer/campaign codes associated therewith. If not, then the coupon is
unique by virtue of its U.P.C. code alone and control passes from a step
159 to the step 158 where the information for the coupon is stored. Note
that at the step 159, the only offer/campaign codes that are examined are
those that correspond to the markets entered at the initialization step
152. If there is only one offer/campaign code associated with a particular
U.P.C. for the market or markets entered at the step 152, then the coupon
is deemed not to have multiple offer/campaign codes, even if the coupon
has other offer/campaign codes associated with it in different markets.
This can be illustrated by the following example:
Suppose a coupon having a particular U.P.C. has a first offer code
associated with coupons dropped in the New York market and a second offer
code associated with coupons dropped in the Baltimore market. If the
operator enters only the New York market at the initialization step 152,
then at the test step 159 the coupon will be deemed to not have more than
one offer/campaign code. Alternatively, to process coupons for a merchant
located between New York and Baltimore, the operator may choose to enter
New York as the primary market and Baltimore as the secondary market at
the step 152. In that case, during processing, the coupon will be deemed
to have more than one offer/campaign code at the test step 159. Note that
the number of market areas can be expanded as deemed necessary by the
processor or at the request of a particular manufacturer.
If at the step 159 the coupon is deemed to have more than one
offer/campaign code associated with it, then control passes from the test
step 159 to a test step 160 to determine if the entire offer/campaign code
and/or any associated secondary offer/campaign codes are contained
entirely in the extended bar code, discussed above in connection with FIG.
3. If all of the information is not in the extended bar code, then control
passes from the step 160 to a step 161 where the operator is prompted to
enter the offer/campaign code and any secondary offer/campaign codes.
Otherwise, if the information is contained entirely in the extended bar
code, then control transfers from the step 160 to a step 162.
At the test step 162, the system 30 determines if the combination of the
coupon U.P.C., the primary offer/campaign code, and any additional,
secondary, offer/campaign codes are contained in the backfile 44. If so,
then control transfers from the step 162 to the step 158 where the
information for the coupon is stored. Otherwise, control transfers from
the step 162 to the step 155 where the coupon record is flagged for later
processing by supervisory personnel to add additional information to the
record for the coupon U.P.C. Following the step 155 is the step 156 where
the operator is prompted for information, such as the offer/campaign code
and the expiration date, relating to the coupon.
Following the step 156 is the step 158 where the information for the coupon
is stored. Following the step 158 is a test step 170 which determines if
processing is complete. If so, then the processing terminates. Otherwise,
control transfers from the step 170 back to the step 153 to scan another
coupon.
The information that is stored at the step 158 includes the redemption data
46 and the marketing data 48 shown in FIG. 1. Storing the redemption data
46 is simply an accounting function where the face values of the coupons
are totalled by retailing chain, store, manufacturer or by any other
appropriate entity. Note that the manufacturer and value data is, in most
cases, contained in the U.P.C. on the face of the coupon.
The marketing data 48 that is stored at the step 158 a count of the number
of the various coupons, relevant offer/campaign codes thereof, and the
alpha description associated with each coupon record. The alpha
description is a universal way of describing manufacturers' products so
that the different products, sizes, types, etc. can be compared, searched
on, and extracted from the database. The alpha description includes a
category which indicates the way the consumer would shop for the product
by section (e.g., canned goods area, dairy department area, frozen foods
area, etc.). The alpha description also includes a description of the way
the consumer would think of the product (i.e., by type of product or brand
name), the unit of measure of the product (e.g., pounds, ounces, etc.),
the number of pounds or ounces of the product required for the coupon to
be valid for use with the purchase, the number of products required for
purchases as described on the face of the coupon, and the free goods
description on the coupon such as one free with two or one free with five.
The alpha description facilitates later database processing wherein the
scanned coupons can be sorted by elements of the alpha description for
marketing studies. Furthermore, the various offer/campaign codes that are
entered for a coupon also facilitates marketing studies by allowing a
manufacturer to determine the effectiveness of a particular coupon in
various markets. Entering the alpha description in the backfile 44 is
described in more detail hereinafter.
If at the step 151 the operator selects the console mode, then controls
transfers from the step 151 to a step 180 where the operator selects
either search coupon or add coupon. The console mode is used by
supervisory personnel to enter information into the backfile 44. A search
coupon option locates coupons that were flagged during line processing as
needing additional information prior to being copied from the temporary
file into the backfile 44. An add coupon option is for adding new coupons
to the backfile 44.
If at the step 180 the operator selects the search coupon option, control
transfers from the step 180 to a step 182 where the operator enters the
lot identification information. At the step 182, the supervisor identifies
the particular lot or run for which additional coupon information may be
necessary. Note that during coupon line processing, the operator enters
the lot information at the initialization step 152, described above.
Following the step 182 is a step 183 which determines if any coupons had
been flagged during the line operation for the lot entered at the step
182. If not, then processing is complete. Otherwise, control passes from
the step 183 to a step 184 where the operator is prompted to enter the
missing information. The missing information includes the alpha
description for the item on the face of the coupon. Following the step 184
is a step 185 where the record that was processed at the step 184 is
unflagged. Unflagging the record at the step 185 indicates that all the
necessary information for the record has been transferred from the
temporary file and is now stored in the backfile 44. Following the step
185 is the step 183 where the system determines if any additional
unflagged records remain in the lot.
If the operator selects the add option at the step 180, control transfers
from the step 180 to a step 190 where the operator is prompted to enter
initial data. Coupons can be added to the backfile 44 by examining
newspaper inserts or any other source of coupon information including, but
not limited to, information supplied directly by manufacturers.
Accordingly, at the step 190, the operator is prompted to enter the market
code (i.e., the geographic area where the coupon insert is dropped), the
source of the coupon insert (such as "VL" for Valassis inserts or "QD" for
News America Quad Marketing), and the drop date of the coupon (i.e., the
date of publication of the newspaper in which the coupon insert appears).
Following the step 190 is a step 191 where the operator scans the coupon
to determine the U.P.C. code and, if available, the extended bar code.
Following the step 192 is a test step 193 where the system determines if
the scanned coupon is a possible exact match of a coupon already stored in
the backfile 44. An exact match occurs when scanned coupon matches the
U.P.C. number, the offer/campaign codes and the expiration date of a
coupon record already stored in the backfile 44.
If at the test step 193 the scanned coupon is deemed a possible exact match
of a coupon already stored in the backfile 44, then control transfers from
the step 193 to a step 194 where the coupon information is displayed on
the screen and the operator is asked to verify that all of the information
for the stored coupon record matches all of the information for the
scanned coupon. If so, then control transfers from the step 194 back to
the step 192 where the operator scans the next coupon.
If the coupon is not deemed to be a possible exact match at the step 193,
or if the coupon is determined by the operator as not being an exact match
at the step 194, then control transfers to a step 196 to test if the
coupon is a near match. A scanned coupon is a near match to a coupon
record in the backfile 44 if the information relating to the scanned
coupon, including any offer/campaign codes found in the extended bar code,
are nearly identical. Possible differences between a scanned coupon and a
stored coupon record include a different expiration date, different
offer/campaign codes, and different last two digits of the U.P.C. code
(i.e., the amount on the face of the coupon).
If at the step 196 the coupon is deemed to be a near match, then control
passes from the step 196 to a step 197 where the system 30 displays
information for the coupons that are nearly identical to the scanned
coupon. Following the step 197 or following the step 196 if the coupon is
not a near match, the operator is prompted to enter data for the scanned
coupon in order to complete the information in the backfile 44. Note that
if the coupon is a near match, the operator can copy and edit the
information displayed at the step 197, thus speeding processing by
eliminating the time required to re-enter enter all of the information for
the coupon. Following the step 198 is a test step 199 which determines if
processing is complete. If processing is not complete, control transfers
from the step 199 back to the step 192 in order to scan another coupon.
Referring to FIG. 7, a screen 210 is provided to the operator at the prompt
step 161 of FIG. 6 to facilitate entry by the operator of the
offer/campaign code. The screen 210 has a portion 212 showing the U.P.C.
of the scanned coupon and a portion 213 showing the alpha description of
the item. The screen 210 also has a column 214 showing various campaign
codes, a column 216 showing various expiration dates, and a column 218
identifying each line of campaign codes from the column 214 and
corresponding expiration dates from the column 216. The operator can
select a particular offer/campaign code by entering a line number
corresponding to either the offer/campaign code on the face of the coupon
and/or the associated expiration date. If the offer/campaign code shown on
the coupon is not found in the column 214, the operator can enter the new
offer/campaign code and expiration date in the columns 214, 216. In that
case, a new record corresponding to the new offer/campaign code is flagged
for further processing by a supervisor, described above. Note that there
is also a column 220 for secondary offer/campaign codes. This column
contains any secondary offer/campaign codes associated with the
offer/campaign codes of the column 214.
Referring to FIG. 8, a screen 230 is displayed when a operator has added a
coupon to the database. The screen 230 includes an indication 232 of the
U.P.C., alpha descriptors 233 that correspond to the product on the face
of the coupon, a column 234 indicating drop areas of the coupon, a column
236 indicating the offer/campaign codes associated with the coupon, and a
column 238 indicating the physical location of the offer/campaign code on
the coupon. For the example shown on the screen 230, the location "2"
indicates that the offer/campaign code is located above the U.P.C. code on
the coupon. In addition, these location numbers can identify other coupon
locations and/or corresponding type faces, fonts, or OCR type.
A prompt line 240 at the bottom of the screen 230 provides the operator
with various options. The operator can add the displayed coupon to the
database, edit the information on the screen, clear the information, or
quit the program. Once the operator has verified that the information on
the screen 230 is correct, the operator would add the record to the
database by selecting the add option from the prompt line 240.
The screen 230 is similar to the screen that the operator sees at the step
194 and at the step 197 of FIG. 6. For both of the steps 194, 197, the
system would display the coupon information which the operator would
either verify as an exact match at the step 194 or would copy at the step
197 (in the case of a near match) and then edit the information at the
step 198. The ability to copy and edit a near match simplifies the input
processing by not requiring the operator to reenter information that is
already stored in the backfile 44.
Although the invention has been illustrated herein using specific hardware
(e.g., U.P.C. scanner 34, processor 38, etc.), it will be appreciated that
the invention can be practiced using different hardware. Similarly,
although the invention has been illustrated by scanning the U.P.C. of a
coupon and determining offer/campaign codes thereof, it will be
appreciated that the invention can be practiced using other types of
coupon identifiers, such as the E.A.N. standard promulgated by the Uniform
Coupon Council, and that it is even possible to practice the invention
with coupon identifiers that do not use bar codes. The invention can be
practiced without using any type of scanner or optical character reader by
having the operator enter all of the coupon information manually.
Modifications and variations of the above-described embodiments of the
present invention are possible, as appreciated by those skilled in the art
in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that,
within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the
invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Top